How To Earn More Money For Your Audio Services

We all want to get paid more for our audio services. I remember when I first started out I was only charging a few hundred dollars to produce a track. Now, my company The Songwriting Team charges anywhere between one to three thousand depending on the scope of the song. We stay slammed 24/7 at that rate too, and did I mention that’s all from independents? No majors forking out dough to cover the bill. You may be thinking… I can’t find anyone with that budget! Well, the are out there and here’s how you can attract them…

The first thing that you should know is that there will always be someone that’s willing to do things cheaper than you. Always. The second thing that you should know is that no one can do what you do. Think about it… If 2 photographers go to the same shoot with the same gear and same model will they get the same picture? Nope. This is because no two people are exactly the same.

So what’s the problem? The problem is the way your potential client thinks!

The solution? Change your potential client’s thinking…

It’s common practice for people to shop based on price. It’s your job to encourage your prospects to not shop based on price but shop based on what they actually want. Ask them, “If price wasn’t a concern then who would you really want to work with?”. Now know that the answer might not be you. If it isn’t then it wouldn’t matter whether you charge $200 or 2 million for your services.

I use this as an example…

If I want to drive a Ferrari then buying a Honda doesn’t solve my problem. If I want the Ferrari then I have to save up and buy it. There’s no way around it.

It’s funny to me that some artists spend years perfecting their craft, put all of their emotion into writing a song, and then when it comes to making the song the best that it can be they try to do it for $100. That’s silly. Those people don’t get it and don’t make good clients. Think about it. Does that make sense to you? If someone is okay with spending just $100 on their creation that they put years into then they don’t respect their own work whether they think they do or not.

It’s part of your job to help put that into perspective for them. When they hear it out loud it clicks… “Oh, that is kind of silly!” Yeah it is!

Encourage your potential clients to buy based on what they really want and what is best for their music. How?

Never lead the conversation with “pricing” or “services”. Instead, think more big picture. Be an advisor, not an order taker. Ask them what they want their outcome to be then provide a solution that will help them reach that outcome. Now it isn’t about money anymore… It’s about them getting exactly what they want. You aren’t going to ever be the cheapest provider, but you can be the provider that gives your client exactly what they need/want. That is priceless.